


Trapped behind glass

by HappyKonny



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mermaids, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Still horrible at tagging sorry, mermaid Robbie, mermaid au, pairing will come later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9215324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyKonny/pseuds/HappyKonny
Summary: Magical beings always hid away from humans. It was known that humans were rather... stupid with what to do and what not.Like when capturing one of the merfolk, to not release it, but put them into a tank in a aquarium.Thankfully, a local elf (and hero) heard about it and decided to help.In which Sportacus tries to get a merman back where he comes from.





	1. Chapter 1

Sportacus pulled his beanie further down, always a little anxious that his ears would be seen. Living among humans wasn't hard in particular, but he didn't trust them with the knowledge that he was an elf. Some people knew, his friends he protected while they grew up. Children didn't judge or question magic to a point that it could be dangerous, adults wouldn't believe them if they said it was real. And they kept it secret once grown up. Sportacus trusted his friends, like they trusted him.

Walking through the crowds in the city was never a comfortable experience. He liked to move around a lot, he liked having space to do so. But he was here on a mission, instead of being home in Lazytown. And soon he was surrounded by people, all trying to go where he was going as well. Into the cities aquarium, where they had just gotten a new attraction, which explained the crowd. Sportacus just needed to get a ticket to get inside and trail behind the people, all headed in the same direction.

Passing by the different tanks with all the different fish, not many people stopped to look at them. Sportacus didn't either, determined to get to the newest tank. There were many people standing in front of it, trying to get a look of what was inside. But Sportacus couldn't spot anything. There was the usual scenery inside, rocks, plants and corals, but not a single fish. His brows furrowed, trying to figure out what could be inside. Whatever it was, it was hiding.

Soon, people became bored. Especially the children who were here got bored and started to whine, pulling at their parents to move somewhere else. Slowly, the crowd dispersed. A few stuck around for a while longer, before eventually they moved on as well. Sportacus though, he continued to stay there. Not only did he have all the time in the world, he also had a suspicious feeling what could be hiding there. He did not like it, but no fish or other sea creature would consciously hide for so long.

He stepped towards the glass, softly laying his hand on it. He was the only person who was still really looking inside, most people just passing by with a glance, since they couldn't see anything, they weren't bothered to stay there and wait.  
"It's alright", he spoke against the glass then, hoping that whatever was inside would hear him. "I'm not like them". He knew he was being pushy, but he wanted to help. Clearly what was inside this tank didn't belong here and should never be here.

He saw them. Hands on the rock, pale skin. Membranes of skin between the fingers, nails short and well kept, decorated with pieces of shells. Sportacus could spot two golden rings on the right hand, thumb and ringfinger, connected with a thin gold chain.  
"I don't want to hurt you", Sportacus said softly, trying not to get the attention of anyone but the being in the tank, _one of the merfolk_. "I want to help", he offered a smile, hoping the other would come out of hiding. He wanted -maybe even needed- to see them, he wanted to know if he could help.

Slowly, the one hiding looked over the rock. Short black hair in a pompadour, a golden circlet with some small stones in it, and steely grey eyes. The merman, it appeared to be, squinted at Sportacus in suspicion. But he couldn't see anyone else, no one who seemed to pay any mind. And Sportacus was offering a kind smile, his hand still against the glass.  
So, the merman came out of hiding, swimming out from behind the rock and forward to the glass.

Now Sportacus could clearly see the other. He had a golden neckpiece as well, made out of three solid pieces of gold it appeared. They all had engravings on them, shells, waves, swirls and such. Some short golden chains were attached to them, some at the sides with pearls. Around his upper arms were golden bracelets, weaved together out of thin gold strings. There appeared to be patches of near translucent scales on the outside of his arms, glittering pink and lavender when they reflected the light just right.

His tail was a deep purple, but when the light shone on it, there were some slightly dark red stripes of scales barely noticeable. His fins were a light gold, their tips fading into white, and appearance resembling those of a golden betta fish. Around his tail at the lower half was another piece of jewelry, another golden bracelet that resembled his circlet, small gold chains connected to it, with some small pearls and shells as decoration.

Sportacus looked up at him in wonder, he'd be smaller than the merman if they were on the same level. But he was _beautiful_ and Sportacus couldn't _not_ admire him. The merman didn't seem to mind that, instead looking the elf over. Clothed fully in blue, hiding his ears, and a strange mustache. He was fit though, the muscles clearly visible.  
Sportacus could only come back to his clear thoughts once the other had laid his hand over his on the glass. He still looked suspicious of the elf, for him he did just look like any other human. But Sportacus smiled at him and let his magic gently flow through his fingers, let them go through the glass so that the merman could feel it. He needed him to trust him, that the other knew that he was hiding himself.

And it worked. Upon feeling the magic graze against his skin, the merman looked from their hands back to Sportacus. He didn't look as suspicious as before anymore, but still cautious, mixed with curiosity. He wondered how the elf wanted to help him, because frankly, it seemed impossible. The owner of this place surely wouldn't just hand the merman over and breaking him out of here sounded like a task that no one could accomplish. But if the elf believed he could somehow free him, then so be it. He wouldn't get his hopes up anyways, though hoping to get out of this tank -which was _by far_ too small- sounded pretty great.

"I'll find a way", Sportacus kept his hand there, kept his magic gently gracing the other's hand. He hoped it would make communication easier, because he was sure the glass was rather thick.  
"I'm Alex. Or Sportacus, as I'm known where I live", he introduced himself. He had to have a "normal" name as well, to live comfortably among humans and not be questioned. "Sportacus" was more of a nickname than anything else.  
The merman frowned upon the name, knowing both weren't the elf's real name. But he knew names were power, especially for elves. So he didn't mind one bit.  
"...Robbie", the merman finally said. "Call me that. Robbie". Giving others -or more precisely a being that wasn't from the merfolk- _any_ kind of name was strange. They didn't interact much with other beings after all.

But it made Sportacus smile and he nodded. The elf was glad to have gotten a name from the other, now he knew what to call him! He couldn't just refer to him as merman after all, that wasn't very nice. Having a name was feeling much better.  
"I have to go now Robbie. But I'll be back", Sportacus really had to go, he had been here for hours already -having waited for the crowd to disperse- and the aquarium was going to close soon.  
_Robbie_ in response nodded. He knew Sportacus couldn't stay here forever and he had noticed how many people there had been before. This human nonsense with time was still -and will probably always- be strange to him.

Sportacus smiled and let his magic flow back to him and let his hand drop back to his side. He waved goodbye to Robbie with a smile, getting a slight wave back, before Robbie once again hid back against the stone and Sportacus left to go back home. He would talk with the children, they were creative and would always help someone in need, _and_ they knew to keep magical beings a secret. He was sure he could come up with a plan on how to save _Robbie_ from this place and bring him back home hopefully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shouldn't be allowed to make more fanfics, I'LL GET TO THE OTHER ONE JUST WAIT FOR ME ;3;
> 
> So yeah, uhm. I really love mermaid AUs and I love mermaid Robbie SO OF COURSE this happened.  
> I hope you'll stay tuned and I hope this will get finished and not gather dust and die orz


	2. Chapter 2

Talking with the kids proved to not be as helpful as Sportacus had first imagined. They _were_ creative, but they weren't exactly realistic. And there was another problem: no one knew much about the merfolk. Sportacus could tell them that they, too, had magic, but not what kind, what they could do. So they decided to visit the aquarium together and talk with Robbie. He surely could tell them all they needed to know, or at least give them more to think about. They probably wouldn't be able to help him immediately anyways, they needed to plan it out carefully.

So the next day, they all went with the bus over to Busycity together. They wouldn't spend their whole day at the Aquarium, especially since people would surely try again to see the merman. They had planned to go as early as possible, so that there weren't too many people yet and they would have quiet for a while. The children were all still a little sleepy, leaning against each other in the bus and almost falling asleep. Once they arrived, Sportacus had to shake them awake and they got off all together.

Wandering towards the Aquarium, they started a conversation. They wondered about the merfolk, how Robbie would look like, what he could do, if they could be friends and where Robbie may have come from. Sportacus smiled at their talking, glad to see them so excited and ready to help too. They were musing how to get Robbie out of there as well, coming up with the strangest ideas. Much depended on what Robbie could do to help, what magic he had.

Once they arrived, they were as early as they could be. There was nearly no one there, they barely saw any lonesome person walking around. Most people did come in the middle of the day, since most people worked under the week and children liked coming to this place.  
When they were in the right corridor, Ziggy was the first to start running. He was curious and very excited to see and meet Robbie! Of course he needed to run ahead and check if he could spot him! And once he reached the tank and stood in front of it, he gaped and looked in amazement. The others soon joined him, looking just as hypnotized, before Sportacus joined them last with a smile.

Robbie had decided, that while no one was there over night, to lay upon the rock. It _was_ relatively smooth on top thankfully and was okay enough to lay upon. Better than that strange sand substitute they had, or whatever it was. His arms under his head and eyes closed, he hadn't even noticed anyone coming. When he _did_ open his eyes though, he noticed the children and looked at them with confusion, before he noticed the blue elf at their sides. A sigh escaped him, sending some small bubbles to the top, before he rolled off the stone and out of their view.

The kids came back to their senses when he disappeared and looked to Sportacus, everyone starting to talk at once. The elf chuckled at them, glad to see them so excited over meeting Robbie, noting that the merman was swimming towards the glass again. Directing the kids attention back towards the other, they all wanted to ask something at once. They were met with a frown though and a look towards Sportacus. Either Robbie couldn't hear them well, or they should at least talk one at a time.

Not wanting to risk Robbie not hearing _anything_ , Sportacus shushed the children, telling them that if everyone spoke at once, Robbie wouldn't be able to understand anything. Once the children had quieted down, the elf laid his hand on the glass once more. He had done so yesterday when they had spoken as well, and they had heard each other. He just didn't know if it was because of his magic building a connection or because it had been quiet enough to hear through the glass.

"Robbie?", Sportacus spoke, looking up to the merman. He had his arms crossed, looking slightly annoyed. He hadn't expected Sportacus to return with a horde of children.  
"These are my friends. They're going to help", he explained, motioning towards them. The children in return waved happily and gave their own greetings towards Robbie, who just meekly waved back at them. He wasn't so keen on having five _children_ helping him, but better than nothing he supposed.  
"Can we ask him now?", Ziggy asked, impatient as ever, bouncing up and down on his feet. He really wanted to talk with Robbie now! The others gave their agreements, everyone wanting to talk with Robbie.

"Of course!", Sportacus nodded and smiled. "One at a time", he reminded them, before they could all start talking at once again. So Ziggy was the first to ask his question, mostly because he was the fastest to ask.  
"Can you do magic??", even _if_ Sportacus had told them that he _probably_ could, he hadn't been entirely sure either. There were elves who couldn't use magic after all, he himself wasn't that good at it. He was mostly concentrating on his body and health after all, and not on his magic.

They were met with silence and a slightly confused look. Robbie looked at Sportacus and lightly shook his head -he couldn't hear the kid talk. Well, he could hear that he _talked_ , but it was far too quiet and muffled as that he could understand it at all.  
"Seems like he can't hear", Sportacus told the children, who seemed rather disappointed. Before Sportacus could cheer them up though, and try to find a way how they _could_ talk with Robbie -maybe he could be like a messenger between them?- Stephanie pointed to the glass again.  
"Look!", she said, and all eyes fell back to Robbie again. The merman had put his hand against the glass, low enough that Ziggy could reach it if he reached up. The kids were confused about it, before Sportacus told Ziggy to lay his hand over Robbie's.

When the child did, he giggled softly. "It tickles!", he exclaimed with a grin. Somehow, the glass was a little bit warm and tickled against the skin of his palm.  
"Happens when you touch magic", Ziggy yelped in surprise at hearing another voice, that wasn't from his friends. Looking to Robbie, he could see him roll his eyes.  
"That was you?", he asked him, receiving a nod from Robbie. Immediately Ziggy's face lit up and he was even more excited than before. That was so cool!

"Guys guys! We talk through _magic!"_ , he told his friends excitedly, making Robbie roll his eyes again and the kids excited. There was a chorus of amazement and awe, because that most certainly was really cool! And Ziggy's question had been answered as well, yes, Robbie _had_ magic.  
The little guy was pulled away by Trixie, who laid her hand over Robbie's instead. She noted the strange feeling as well, but didn't comment on it, instead getting right to her question she wanted to ask.  
"What cool magic tricks do you have?", she grinned full of expectations, hoping that Robbie could do some cool tricks or something else amazing.

"Nothing that would help in my situation", Robbie replied, not really in the mood to answer the kid's questions. He saw no point in it, not really.  
"Oh, come on! Show us something cool!", Trixie pried further and stomped her foot in the ground. Robbie rubbed his eyes with one hand in annoyance, before he leaned down to be on Trixie's eye-level, so that only she -and Sportacus- could see his face anymore.  
"No", Robbie declined again and grinned widely, showing off a wide range of razor sharp teeth. Trixie shrieked softly in response and stumbled back, before Robbie straightened himself out again.  
Sportacus looked disapprovingly at Robbie, while the kids asked why Trixie had shrieked. She told them that he had razor sharp teeth and was really scary with them, which made Sportacus shake his head softly and sigh. Robbie in return just stuck his tongue out at them.

Stephanie decided to step up then and laid her hand on the glass, smiling up at Robbie. He, in return, hoped that an actual useful question would come from the pink girl, and laid his hand onto hers.  
"Hello Robbie", she greeted with a smile, polite as always. "Since we want to help you get out, we need to know if and how you can survive outside of water", she told him, basically asking him her question. The first one that was useful as well.  
"Well", Robbie sighed, watching the few small bubbles rise and plop. "I _could_ survive like this for a while. Like a fish. A little longer than that, but still not very long", he told her, and her face sank almost immediately. That'd make it really hard to help him, they wouldn't be able to manage to bring him anywhere in such a short time!  
"But", Robbie continued, making her look up again. "I _could_ become like, well", he gestured at her, or more likely, at all of them. At their legs. "You. Humans".

"You can?", Stephanie asked, eyes lighting up with excitement. That was so cool! She would never have thought that that was possible! But the only source she had for reference was the little mermaid, and that _needed_ a twist to make it as great as it is! But she really would've thought that the merfolk couldn't just turn their tail into legs.  
" _Well"_ , Robbie once again interrupted her, looking to the side instead of at her. "Just because I could", he shuddered slightly, "have _legs_ , doesn't mean I know how to use them", he grumbled. Yes, he couldn't walk. Because he didn't need to know!   
"That's okay!", Stephanie said and giggled, smiling brightly up at Robbie. "Important is that you can survive outside the water!", she was practically beaming at him, happy to know that one of their problems would be solved.  
"I guess. Whatever..", Robbie grumbled, crossing his arms again. It only made Stephanie giggle more and shook her head softly, grinning at all of her friends.

"We found a solution for when we get him outside the water", she told them, grinning widely. She didn't clearly tell them _how_ however, but she did tell that _Sportacus_ would have to _carry_ him. Which made the man look surprised and the tips of his ears turned pink -thankfully hidden away under his beanie.  
"There's still the question on how we _get_ him outside", Trixie chimed in. The others agreed to that. Apparently, Robbie had nothing that would help with that. So they'd need to come up with a plan themselves.

The kids started to chat between themselves once more, while Sportacus looked at Robbie. He was watching the kids carefully, apparently not really trusting them yet. He did wonder what Robbie could do that would make him able to be comfortably carried around without problems, since he couldn't piece it together from hearing only one side of the conversation and Robbie's hand gestures. He just hoped it would work out and they'd get him home.  
"How about we leave now children?", he asked with a smile, turning towards them again. They had spent quite a while here, and they could still go look at all the other fish that were here, before spending the rest of the day in Busycity.

Briefly arguing about it, the kids finally agreed to leave now. They all happily waved goodbye to Robbie, all saying goodbye at once as well so that he could maybe hear it, before sauntering off.  
Sportacus smiled at Robbie and also waved goodbye, the merman knowing that the group wouldn't sit still until they got him out of there. So Robbie offered a short goodbye wave as well, before laying down on the rock again. Maybe he could take a quick nap before anyone else came to gape at him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea came from the Pirates of the Caribbean, where the mermaid they caught could turn her tail into legs.  
> It's done with magic here 100% and only for periods of time, since magic will run out eventually and all that. Just please don't kill me over the idea orz
> 
> Otherwise, it will still take a chapter until they get Robbie out. If I can judge my own writing and ideas, this will get around... at least 6 chapters. I _think_.
> 
> Don't expect regular updates, and especially not daily. I'm trying to write as much of the story I can, but if there is a longer time where nothing is posted, don't freak out. It _will_ be continued eventually, after whatever writing block I had is over ^^;  
>  Thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3

Once they had returned home, it was evening again. They promised to meet tomorrow again, at Pixel's house. They would come up with a plan on how to get Robbie and search for places where he could stay until they knew where he came from. They all guessed that he was from the sea, because didn't all merpeople come from there? The problem would be then though, that the sea was far away from Lazytown. Yes they had a beach, but said beach was just from a big body of water. And they were pretty sure that it was fresh water, and not salt.

The next day couldn't come any sooner, everyone filled with ideas and plans. They all had come up with one thing or another what they could do, some more silly than the others. Sportacus would be joining them some time too, after his workout. They would probably go outside then as well, knowing how the elf couldn't sit still.  
Pixel had found out when the aquarium was closed, under the week at 5pm. That was early enough for them to start their rescue-mission! They agreed that it would be best to do it after closing hours. There would be no other people then there who could see them, just the staff. They had no idea how many people there would be though.

The most logical thing would be, that after closing hours the fish would be fed, their health could possibly be checked, and maybe tanks would be cleaned -though they believed that that would be done at large when the Aquarium was closed for the whole day. And of course, the floors and glass would be cleaned by cleaning staff.   
"So we go after all the cleaning is done?", was asked. They thought about it, but decided that it wasn't the best idea. They would go when it was dark and there wouldn't be nearly as many people there then.

Their plan was slowly forming. If there were security cameras, Pixel could take care of that. Trixie and Stephanie were the most stealthy out of the bunch, they would definitely scout the area. Sportacus was just pulled into this all, he would at least have to carry Robbie after all! They needed to tell the mayor as well, they needed his car after all. They couldn't drive and Sportacus couldn't either. And then there was the issue with the locks. Trixie was _sure_ she could pick locks, but the others doubted that. But, it was better than having no idea at all.

Stephanie took it on herself to go to her uncle and talk to him. He was one of the kindest people she knew, so he surely would help them out! She explained carefully, that they were getting a friend from somewhere sometime this week in the late evening. Lying wasn't something she liked doing, but it had to be done. So she told him that it had to be in the night, because the friend arrived at night and would meet them near the aquarium. Pixel, Trixie and Sportacus would come with her to get their friend -it was good that her uncle had a big car, otherwise six people would've been a little too much.

Her uncle thankfully agreed to help out, though he had been a little hesitant about it. But seeing Stephanie so happy about it made it all worth it, so he didn't really mind.  
Going back to her friends, they decided that they should plan on what day they should do it. The most sensible would be friday, Sportacus chimed in, because then the kids wouldn't have to worry about school the next day. Sadly that meant, that they would have to wait almost a whole week. It was only monday after all!

Sportacus tried to make it positive. They had five days to plan where Robbie could be staying until further notice, they could arrange a living place for him and do more research on the merfolk maybe as well! And they could plan how to get to the sea -if they needed to for Robbie. The kids understood that the few days were important to plan, they couldn't just rush in and do what they wanted without having it carefully planned out. Robbie _did_ need a place to stay after all.

They spend most of the day thinking about what to do once they got Robbie here. Stephanie still didn't tell them what she knew, but she did say she would think Robbie could technically live in a normal house as well, though he surely needed at least _some_ place where he could swim. Some of the kids got some ideas what Stephanie was hiding, but since she took it on herself to not give it away, no one was really sure. So, they settled upon finding a place for Robbie to stay.

There was the big lake with their beach not too incredibly far away and there was a lake in the forest, but both was freshwater. They had no idea if someone from the merfolk would only be able to live in saltwater or in both. Or maybe just in freshwater? They had no idea, and Sportacus hadn't either. But, they had at least two places in nature they could offer to Robbie. But if he could only survive in saltwater, they would get into a problem.

"We need to think about food too". What did the merfolk even eat? There weren't many options to choose from, anything you could find in the sea -or in lakes. In water, let's say it like this. So there were rather few plants and much much fish. It seemed a bit morbid to the kids -wasn't that making mermaids cannibals in a sense?- but they couldn't come up with another answer. They could probably ask Robbie though, because he'd be with them surely for at least a while! They needed to find out where he came from after all, before they could get him home!

Sportacus offered to talk to Robbie again tomorrow. Then they would know how to handle this all. The children agreed to his offer and decided to finally play something. Talking about saving Robbie was good and all, but it was getting boring and strained their minds quite a bit. They all went off to play soccer together then, Sportacus happily joining in. He had just been doing some exercises while the children had talked, but now he could really move! And that was great!

They played the rest of the day together, Sportacus having to safe someone only a few times. He liked living here, everyone was nice and the children very accepting! The adults were sadly only rarely here, or at least outside, though he did see some usually everyday! Lazytown wasn't that big after all, but had mostly everything it needed. And he didn't mind that much, though he loved to help people out! By the end of the day, he still was everyone's "hero", though he never wanted that title. He was just a simple sports elf with a big heart!

Once the sun was beginning to set, all the children were headed home. Sportacus watched them go, until he was sure they were safe at home, before he got into his airship. Most people had seriously wondered about it, but it was something like a tradition in his family to travel in the air. And he felt more comfortable high up as well, though that he couldn't explain.  
While he was eating something for dinner, he was thinking about what had happened in the last few days. A merman had been captured and was now in the Aquarium, he had met him and talked with him, the children had met him and talked with him as well and now they were all going to get him out of there and to Lazytown.

He smiled softly, glad to know the children were so eager to help another being in need of help. They were very kind and he trusted them. Otherwise he wouldn't have told them about him being an elf and he would probably also not have told them about Robbie. He was really glad to have the children as his friends, he knew he could go to them if he needed them. With that in mind, he could go to sleep without having to worry about anything, keeping in mind he'd visit Robbie the next day again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently writing chapter five, so I hopefully will have some things to post. School starts again tomorrow and I really don't want to Dx  
> Oh well, I'll manage.  
> Uhm, nothing much happened in this chapter I believe, but oh well.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Robbie!", Sportacus smiled happily at the merman, who was laying on the rock and resting. He seemed much more still than the last time they had spoken, and that had just been two days ago! Sportacus could imagine it was because of not enough movement, because the tank was too small to really move around in. Sure a little swimming should be possible, but clearly not enough. It couldn't be healthy for one of the merfolk to not move for a long time.

Sportacus was concerned for Robbie, but it wouldn't be long until they could get Robbie out. He would surely be okay until then, and otherwise he could come back to health once he was in Lazytown!  
"We need to know a little more", Sportacus told Robbie then, hoping the other was listening. The elf had his hand on the glass, using his magic to reach out to the merman and through the glass.  
Robbie looked over to Sportacus, he seemed to be tired. It just worried Sportacus further, but he was glad that Robbie could still move around -he swam over to the glass slowly and laid his hand over the elf's.

"What?", he asked, his voice a mixture of annoyance and tiredness. He hadn't really been able to sleep here, it was a terrible place to be.  
"The sea is too far away to bring you to it directly, so you'll stay with us in Lazytown for a while. But we don't know what kind of water you need", Sportacus explained, clearly still concerned for Robbie. He wished he could help him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything for Robbie for now.  
"I'm a Havfine, I can live in any water, as long as its healthy", Robbie answered. He meant of course, that the water needed to be clean and have enough oxygen in it. So that fish for example could live in it. "I'd prefer salt though", he added, not looking at Sportacus. He did come out of the sea after all, and he was used to saltwater, so he'd prefer that if it was manageable.

Sportacus nodded, and unable to hide his concern, had to ask: "Are you alright?".  
Robbie looked at Sportacus and scoffed, looking away again. "Of course I am, Sportakook", he answered, changing the nickname of the elf to his own liking. It made Sportacus grin softly, but he was still worried. But at least Robbie was relatively okay, so that was good?

"Anything else you need?", Robbie asked then, clearly impatient. He wanted to lay back down again, he knew more people would come later and gape at him. He didn't do much though, he either hid away behind the rock or he laid on top of it and napped. Sometimes some annoying children would tap on the glass until he showed up or a reaction, but mostly it was fine.  
"Well, we had wondered about what you eat..", Sportacus brought up, but he wasn't sure if they really needed to talk about that. Well, depending on what to do with Robbie's living conditions, they would probably need to.

"Meat", was Robbie's short and simple answer. Sportacus decided not to question it any further, not wanting to know _how_ the merfolk may get meat underwater. Fish probably still counted for meat in his sense, but that didn't matter that much. Robbie seemed to want to end the conversation as well, because he went back to get on his rock and take a nap.  
"We're coming in three days at night to get you", Sportacus told Robbie, because he deserved to know that. Robbie in return just waved his hand around, seemingly not caring. Sportacus sighed, but decided that Robbie may just not feel way today.  
"Goodbye Robbie", he offered a kind smile at Robbie and waved at the merman, before leaving once more. He had hopefully not forgotten to ask anything they needed to know.

**oooo**

Trixie had gotten the idea that they maybe could build something for Robbie. Something like a pool or something like it! They could make it big enough for him to live in until they got him back to the sea! The kids liked the idea, but they couldn't settle on _where_ they wanted to do that. They couldn't just dig a hole in the ground anywhere after all. So they wandered around Lazytown, scouting the area. Maybe they would find a place where no one would be bothered!

While walking, Ziggy came up with a thought though. "What if someone sees him?". They knew no one was supposed to see Robbie! They just hoped that they would find a place somewhere on the outskirts of town for Robbie, keeping in mind that he'd like saltwater more than freshwater.  
Finally, they were further outside of Lazytown and stopped, taking a break. They hadn't found a suitable place yet, nothing that was usable.

"Hey, look where we are!", Stephanie sprung up from the ground, pointing at something. The others turned to look and gasped. The abandoned factory! Maybe they'd find a suitable place around here! They all got up and all ran towards the strange billboard no one had ever cared about. They knew that exploring an old abandoned place could be dangerous, but they'd be careful!

Pixel and Ziggy examined the billboard, while the others wanted to continue to the other metal buildings. Well, mostly Trixie wanted to and Stephanie was trying to tell her to just be a little more patient.  
"Hey guys!", Pixel called out. He and Ziggy had managed to open a strange hatch that looked like a way inside and down, since it had a ladder inside. They all gathered around it, and looked down, unsure on what to do.

"Don't be such scaredy cats! Let's explore!", and before anyone could stop her, Trixie had climbed up the thing and jumped inside. The others called out to her in horror, not knowing where that pipe would lead and if Trixie would be alright. But before they could decide what to do -or even go after her- Trixie's voice was carried up to them through the metal pipe.  
"Hey guys! Come down here!", she called. The kids looked a little uncertain about the trip down, but Trixie seemed to be fine, so it should be alright, right? Right.

One kid after the other climbed into the pipe. The ladder inside wasn't there for all the way, as the first kid soon noticed. Trixie had just jumped in without caring about the ladder -a _very_ bad idea- but since there was no other way...  
It was like a slide, just in pure darkness and _very_ fast and with sharp twists. Sliding out at the end, they more like _shot_ out of it, rolling over the ground. They were lucky the pipe connected to the wall, so they wouldn't break their legs.

Looking around, they were in a _giant_ room. Everything was made out of metal, there were hundreds of pipes on the ceiling, high up, and big windows on the walls, tinted blue, but no light fell through them -they were underground after all. The only light came from some old fluorescent lights that were dangling from the ceiling, Trixie had apparently found a light switch.  
"Woah"  
"What is this place?"  
"Why is it so empty?"  
"It should be _mine!"_  
" _STINGY!"_

They all wandered around the big empty room, everything that was here was covered in a layer of dust. There was nothing here, _nothing at all_. They only saw pipes going from one wall into the other in the corners, some more openings of pipes in the walls and even from the ceiling.   
"Guys, I found a hallway!", Stephanie called to the others suddenly, standing in front of an open door. She almost had missed it, because the door looked just like the wall. The handle blended in so well with it, that it was hard to notice. But the door was there, made out of metal, but rather thin -it wasn't hard to pull it open.

The other children hurried towards Stephanie, their quick movements whirling up the dust into the air, causing some of them to sneeze on their way. Together, they went into the hallway, looking around. They found several more doors, all with labels to their side.  
Pixel wiped one off, curious to see what would be behind the door. "Theater", he read and frowned. When they opened the door, they found a stairway behind it. The other doors were just like it, stairs twisting and turning in different directions, but all leading up. Wiping off more labels, they read "Townhall", "Beach", "Shopping district" and some more. At the end of the hallway were some doors without labels, which turned out to be a storage, an old bathroom and another empty room. And finally, there were stairs that weren't hidden by a door.

Having no idea how to get out of here in any other way but using the stairs, the kids argued over which pair of stairs they should use. In the end, they decided to go up the unhidden stairs. Maybe they would just lead to another part of this underground _lair_ , so why not finish exploring?  
So they started climbing up the stairs, which turned out to be very long and Ziggy soon complained that he got tired. They couldn't just stop so, they continued on. When they _finally_ arrived at the top of the stairs, there was. A door.

Stephanie, being the one that stood in front of it, tried to open it. It turned out to be stuck though, so Pixel and Trixie came to help push against it to open it. It flung open suddenly and the three kids fell into a heap onto the ground, the bright daylight blinding them. They were outside again!  
Getting back up on their feet, they looked around. They were next to a small building of the factory, at the edge of it. They could see the billboard not too far away. So there was a stairway down to that _lair_ as well! That was very good to know, since that was much safer than the pipe-slide.

"I got an idea!", Ziggy exclaimed while they were walking back to town. He seemed excited about his idea, so the others were eager to hear what he had come up with.  
"What if Robbie stays down there! We could build something for him to swim in and he'd have much room! And it can be salty water!". The idea really wasn't that bad. Robbie wouldn't be seen by anyone then and would be safe. No one cared about the factory anyways, and surely the Mayor wouldn't mind either, if they made up a good excuse!

"But wouldn't it be like another prison for him?", Stephanie asked, worry on her face. "Right now he's trapped in a tank in the Aquarium and now we're going to trap him again Underground?".  
"Oh Pinky!", Trixie rolled her eyes. "Even if he'd stay in the big lake, it'd be like a prison, even if it's big! We want to get him _home_ , which is the _sea_. He's not going to live there forever!".  
Stephanie still looked a little uncomfortable, but nodded. Trixie was right, Robbie wouldn't be there forever and anywhere he'd be would be just another prison. And at least they would have saltwater for him, like he would like to have.  
With a sigh, Stephanie smiled and nodded. "You're right!".

When they arrived back to town, they all took time to get something to eat. They had been searching and wandering around for some hours, and not to mention how exhausting it was to walk around all day and then climb so many steps on a long stairway.  
Once outside ready to play again though, they met back with Sportacus and told him of their found. He had the same concerns as Stephanie, but was explained by Trixie again that it would be fine! They decided to play the rest of the day, and would start tomorrow to make the _lair_ into a more comfortable living space, _and_ a living space for a _merman!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the grand rescue! :D  
> As far as I can tell from what I have written and what I have planned to write, this will have 8 chapters probably.  
> So, still enough time! For everything! I hope I'll be able to really implement the ship ^^;  
> So yeah, now we know where Robbie will stay!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't question the time and stuff. It- it doesn't. make sense. that's perfectly fine.

For the next few days, the kids spend most of their time making the underground _lair_ into something one could live in. Pixel spend the most time into building half of the _lair's_ big room into a tank, while the others mostly cleaned up, helped Pixel and made the other half into a comfortable space for humans, because they were sure to visit lots and lots! Sportacus was helping as well, carrying heavy objects for them or doing things that were higher up in the air. Everything that could be dangerous and would definitely be too dangerous for the children to do, he did instead.

When they were doing the finishing touches on friday, they were proud of themselves. With the help of everyone, they had been able to make half of the lair into something like a tank, building a huge metal wall and sealing everything off to make it waterproof, before having filled it. Informing themselves how to make a proper aquarium -because of the fresh need of oxygen in the water- they had added everything they thought Robbie would need. And if not, then he would be sure to tell them!

The other half of the lair now had a big orange rug and a big fuzzy orange armchair -something Bessie had possessed but not wanted anymore-, some normal chairs and a table, many pillows and some blankets, some lamps and even a phone! Sportacus had taken it upon himself to install a heater too, because it got rather cold down in the _lair_ and it surely would be nice even for Robbie to have some warm air when not swimming in the water. They also had brought down a bookshelf and put in some books they found or didn't want -or need- themselves. It was more there for visitors, since Robbie couldn't read underwater. At least that'd be strange.

Everyone was extremely happy with their work, it had taken quite some time after all! They were sure that'd be the best place for Robbie to stay temporarily, and when he was gone, they could still use the place! It was like a secret clubhouse then, they had made it really cozy after all and no one knew of the place but the kids and Sportacus. They couldn't wait for the night and go and rescue Robbie, though the excitement did slowly turn into anxiety.

What if something went wrong? Or they were caught? Or couldn't get Robbie out? And many more questions filled their head. But they motivated themselves and gave themselves confidence, they could do this! Robbie needed their help, so they would help him! And even if they still had some worries in the back of their minds, their priority was to stay focused on helping! If anything would happen, they would deal with it! No matter what happens, they were going to free Robbie and eventually get him home as well!

The day slowly came to an end. Everyone was gathered at the Mayor's home, Ziggy and Stingy there to wish them luck. The two would sadly only know if the others succeeded the next day, since they needed their sleep and couldn't just wait for them to come back and then go home again.  
Once all goodbyes were said, everyone got into the car. Sportacus wasn't a fan of having to ride in a car, since it required him to sit still and not being able to move much for a longer period of time, but he could do it. It was only slightly worse than taking the bus after all, and they could be faster since the streets were rather empty this time of night.

The journey to Busycity was relatively quiet. A light conversation between the adults and between the children were going, Sportacus telling the mayor how long he'd probably have to wait for them, and the children talking about their plan quietly. They were trying to get solutions to any problems that may occur, so that they were as prepared as possible. They just hoped that everything would go well, even though it seemed like an almost impossible task.

Once they arrived, they were only a street away from the Aquarium. The Mayor promised to wait for them here, and the kids and Sportacus promised to be back as soon as they picked up their friend -warning the Mayor that it might take a while, since they got told his train arrived later than expected.  
Together they walked to the Aquarium, all in relative silence. Sportacus didn't really like the idea of breaking and entering, but what else was there to do? They wouldn't be able to save Robbie otherwise.

Getting through the backdoor inside was a little harder than they had hoped. Trixie really wasn't that good at picking locks like she had claimed. Thankfully, Pixel had looked into it a little and was able to help her. He also was always on the lookout for any security cameras, ready to change their feed if they were caught by it. He did lag behind with Sportacus, the girls creeping their way forward and through the halls.

Luckily there was no one really there. No one suspected anyone to break into an _Aquarium_ of all things apparently, and no real crime had ever taken place here either. Pixel _did_ find security cameras though, guessing that they had a night guard here that checked the feed. While the girls and Sportacus proceeded onwards, Pixel figured out that the cameras probably were always recording, but the guard could only see a few of them at a time apparently. He quickly and quietly informed the others that they needed to check if the cameras had a small glowing light. If yes, they needed to stay hidden.

Sneaking around behind the dark tanks, through hallways and rooms only staff was allowed to be in, they passed the guards office as well. Pixel risked a glance inside, seeing the different screens the guard was looking at. Seems like he monitored the main entrance, some hallway and a place behind some of the tanks. His face paled slightly, when he spotted what was in one of the visible tanks in the feed. Robbie. The guard also had a TV there, watching some program.

Motioning to the others to stop, they whispered quietly to each other, Pixel telling them of his findings. There was a high risk that the guard would look over to the screens from the TV while they were visible on it. Breaking their heads over the issue for a minute or two -which felt like an eternity for everyone- Trixie got an idea. Disturb the TVs signal so that it wouldn't show what it's supposed to, and the guard would _hopefully_ take a look at the TV and try to fix it.

It wouldn't buy them much time though. At least not enough before the guard would decide the TV was a lost cause and watch the cameras like he was supposed to do.  
Stephanie came up with the idea that Pixel could stay behind and wait until they were just out of reach of the camera, then he would disturb the TV and they would get Robbie. Hopefully they would have him quickly enough before the guard would be either able to watch TV again or turn to the cameras.

Agreeing to the plan, they let Trixie stay with Pixel. The less people, the less the risk of being spotted. Stephanie and Sportacus proceeded to go forwards then, guessing the path behind the scenes from where they knew how to go on the normal ways.  
Once they reached the place, Stephanie pulled something out of her backpack -which she had with her due to unknown reasons. She hadn't told anyone why she had it or what was in it, but she had ensured that they'd need it. What she had pulled out was a small ball, which she let roll a little over the floor. It was supposed to be the signal for Pixel.

Waiting a few moments, Stephanie sprung into action. There thankfully was a ladder nearby, she needed to get up to the tank with Robbie. She positioned Sportacus next to the glass and told him to be ready to catch Robbie. He was a little confused, but trusted her and nodded.  
After a few moments, Stephanie was standing on the top rungs of the ladder and Robbie had pulled himself up onto the thin ledge. The girl had pulled out of her backpack a blanket. Smart, considering Robbie had no clothes _and_ it was chilly outside. Robbie even got a quiet compliment for her.

Stephanie had kind of hoped that his magic -turning his fishtail into human legs- would be kind of fancy, but it wasn't anything like that. She barely even noticed the changing, and then it was already finished, two human feet dangling in the water instead of his fin. She draped the blanket over his shoulders and helped him pull it close around him, before telling him to let himself fall. Sadly, Robbie didn't want to do that. Understandably of course, since they were a little high up, but _they had no time_.

So Stephanie pushed him.  
A yelp escaped Robbie at the sudden feeling of _falling_ , nothing around him, gravity pulling him _down_ , and he was, quite frankly, scared. But then it was already over and he had been caught in two strong, warm arms. He was held close against the person's chest, while they hurried to get a little further away. Stephanie was soon to follow, quickly having put the ladder back where she had got it, before she was with them again.

Sportacus looked quite surprised at seeing Robbie with _legs_ , but had no time to question it. It was time to get out! So they hurried, as quietly as possible, back the way they came. They gathered Pixel and Trixie, both also quite surprised at Robbie, but they didn't take one break getting out.  
They all took a deep breath once they were outside, relaxing. Robbie was the only one that didn't seem any different, he was tightly holding onto Sportacus with his face buried against his shoulder.

"Are you alright Robbie?", Sportacus asked once they started moving again. He worried about the other, he would say that Robbie was _scared_. But he couldn't know, he wasn't sure.  
"Just _fine"_ , Robbie replied, voice muffled due to talking into Sportacus' shoulder. The elf wasn't very convinced, but he wouldn't pry, not now.  
"Do we have an excuse as to why he's carrying Robbie?", Pixel asked, while they turned the corner into the next street, where they could spot the car in the distance.  
"Of course!", Trixie chimed up and nodded. "He, uhm... hurt his ankle!", she nodded with a confident grin, but the others weren't so sure if that would work. But, seeing as how late and dark it was, and that the Mayor was a little naive, they just hoped it would work.

Once they reached the car, Stephanie got in at the front next to her uncle, while Pixel and Trixie got in the middle and Sportacus with Robbie in the back. Stephanie quickly explained why they took so long -Robbie had arrived a little late and then he tripped and fell and hurt his ankle, so Sportacus had to carry him eventually- and they were on their merry way back, the Mayor believing his niece.  
The ride was quiet, the children getting tired after all the tension of having to be hyper aware of everything, and Sportacus was also tired, it was way past his bedtime. Robbie was tired as well, but still awake. He had loosened his grip on the elf though, shifted his face to have it laid against Sportacus' instead of buried.

He was blankly looking forward, lost deep in thought apparently. He seemed very tired as well, and he was still dripping water off his hair. Luckily the mayor hadn't noticed _that_ , because that'd be hard to explain. Sportacus luckily didn't mind it either, because he was getting wet from holding Robbie so close to him as well. He'd just change when he got home, though he knew he had to stay up for a while longer. He was responsible of getting Robbie to his new, temporary, home.

Once they arrived at Lazytown, Sportacus left the group at the outskirts of town. Goodbyes and Good nights were said and the mayor was driving the children home, while Sportacus carried Robbie to the _lair_ , towards the stairs he had been shown.  
The way down was dark, but he didn't mind it at all. He did notice that Robbie held onto him a little tighter again, maybe he was scared of the dark? Wasn't it dark deep under the water? Well, who knew what the merfolk did to have light down there.

"We're almost there", Sportacus assured Robbie, who just nodded in reply. It made the elf feel for Robbie, he wasn't scared of really anything, and today Robbie was scared _so much_. He hoped that Robbie would be alright on his own here, in a new area and alone.  
Once they were in the _lair_ , Sportacus walked through the short hallway and into the big room. He had been shown around by the kids just earlier this day, so he thankfully knew where the lights turned on.

The room flooded with light, Robbie took a careful glance around. He eyed the orange armchair and the many pillows and all that stuff for a moment, before his eyes were drawn to the tall metal wall and the stairs that wrapped around it, with a small platform at the top. Sportacus was, in fact, walking towards the stairs.  
"The kids and I built this for you. The children thought it would be a good idea to make it comfortable for them too, because they want to be friends with you!", Sportacus told Robbie, climbing up the stairs. Robbie scrunched up his face, hearing that they wanted to be _friends_ , but he was... touched, that they had made this just for him.  
"I hope it's alright, otherwise we will change that tomorrow!", Sportacus smiled at Robbie, even though he didn't look at Sportacus. The elf didn't mind though, instead carrying the man with a smile.

Once finally on top, Sportacus set Robbie down, so that he was sitting at the edge of the water. He let his feet slide into the water, humming slightly. It seemed like he felt much more content with water. The elf could understand that though, he felt more content being high up in the air as well, due to his being.  
Robbie let the blanket he had held close to himself the whole time fall and slid inside the water, the change from legs to tail barely noticeable just like before. Sportacus watched Robbie swim around a little, before the merman emerged once more and _smiled_. As soon as he realized that though, the smile was gone and Sportacus chuckled.

"I'll be going then. Have a good night, Robbie", Sportacus smiled at Robbie, who just nodded in return. He waved slightly, before disappearing down under water again. It seemed like Robbie was alright on his own in the water, so Sportacus was glad. Now Robbie had much more space to move around and water he liked. So the elf left the merman alone for the night, leaving the lights on though, knowing that Robbie was afraid of the dark -at least he assumed so.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is actually the last chapter I have written out.  
> I did start writing chapter 6 and have the rest of it outlined, chapter 7 is fully outlined as well.  
> But... I really have no motivation for writing.  
> I don't want to let you wait too long though, so I thought I post at least this and let you know, that the next update may take more than just one or two days.
> 
> Now Robbie is rescued! I have no idea if I've written it well or if it makes any sense, because I have no fricking clue about anything, so  
> Yeah. I like how the lair looks though, I can imagine it to be so comfy


	6. Chapter 6

Rumbles went through the _lair_ and soon laughter and giggles filed the air, resonating through the pipes, before there came five children shooting out from one that opened out of the wall into the open to the room. The kids all piled on each other in a heap of blankets and pillows that were positioned there to cushion their fall. They were still giggling happily while they scrambled to get away, before the last person emerged from the pipe. Sportacus!

They all decided to make themselves comfortable, sitting down on the ground in a circle. Only Sportacus didn't, instead going to do light exercises like he always did when the kids were going to talk. He didn't mind sitting still in particular, it just got boring and he got the need to move around, so he did! And the kids didn't mind it, they were used to it, and he still took part in their conversations!

"How was it? Was it very scary?", Ziggy asked the group, bouncing excited where he was seated. Having stayed at home had been like torture, he would've loved to go with them, but of course understood why he couldn't.  
"It was a little scary!", Stephanie admitted. She had been really tense the whole time, until they were finally outside. And the others had been as well, she could tell. Even Sportacus had been tense!  
"But it was really cool!", Trixie said, grinning widely. "Me and Pixel had to distract the guard that watched the security cameras, while Pinky and Sportacus went and saved Robbie!".  
Ziggy and Stingy looked in awe, the latter jealous that he wasn't there. He was sure he could've been _just_ as good as Trixie or Stephanie! But at least everything had worked out and everyone was okay, which was the most important thing!

"So how did you get Robbie? Why did Sportacus have to carry him?", Stingy asked then, wanting to know what Stephanie had hidden from them. Everyone but him and Ziggy knew! That was unfair!  
"He used magic to make his tail into legs", Pixel answered simply, causing Ziggy to gasp in excitement.  
"Really?!", he asked, and once the others nodded, he bounced out of his seat. "That's so cool!!". Using magic to change your form sounded so incredible! It was really cool and he couldn't even _imagine_ how amazing that must have been!  
Stephanie and Trixie giggled softly, Ziggy was always very cute when he was so excited. He was the youngest out of the bunch after all, with Stephanie and Pixel being the oldest. But no one minded the age gap between them, they've known each other since forever basically!

"Oh, oh! Can we talk with Robbie? I really wanna know more about him!", Ziggy asked then, bouncing up and down on his feet now.  
"I'd love to know more as well!", Pixel agreed and nodded. Getting to know more about the merfolk, it fascinated him! When Sportacus first had told them that he was an elf, he had so much to tell them about his kind and they had loved hearing stories from him -which he still told from time to time.  
"How about we ask him then?", Sportacus suggested with a happy grin, sure that Robbie would like some company! Sure they had been basically right next to him, but he hadn't been involved in their conversation at all.

"No need to ask", Robbie's voice rung out, all of the children's heads, and Sportacus', turning around and up. There Robbie was, arms laying on the edge of the wall with his head on them, looking down at them. It looked like he had been up there for quite a while, listening to them, since his hair wasn't dripping anymore.  
"Did we disturb you Robbie?", Stephanie asked, worried about it. They hadn't meant to after all! But it wasn't even noon yet, so they had thought it'd be an okay time to come and visit him, talk with him.  
"You interrupted my _nap"_ , Robbie informed them, clearly at least a little annoyed. But he really didn't seem to mind _that_ much.  
"Sorry!", the kids called up to him. Robbie just muttered a "Whatever" in response. The kids then proceeded to run towards the stairs, they wanted to get up to Robbie and talk with him! Sportacus followed the excited mass, knowing he wouldn't be able to exercise up there, but he didn't mind.

Once everyone was up on the platform, the kids settled down to sit. Sportacus did as well, he would be able to manage to sit for a while! He'd just occupy his mind with something that was equal to physical exercise.  
Everyone was currently watching Robbie in the water, until he came back up to them and shook his head -sending water droplets onto everyone, which resulted in some squeaks and the merman grinned. Sportacus just shook his head gently, a soft smile on his face.

"So you want to ask me things?", Robbie asked, laying his arms onto the platform to let his head rest on them. He'd have to look up to the children this way, but he simply wouldn't look at them at all.  
A chorus of agreement came from the children, together with nodding. They had many questions! They talked all at once again, barely noticing how annoyed Robbie looked at that, though Sportacus noticed and had a sympathetic look. The children could be a handful sometimes.  
"Calm down kids, one after the other", he reminded them, making them go quiet. The children talked among themselves who could ask first, before the first question was asked -Robbie paid no attention by whom.

"Where are you from?", was asked. Robbie spared a glance to Sportacus, with a raised brow, asking without words _"You haven't told them?"_ to which Sportacus shrugged lightly with a sheepish grin.  
"I'm a Havfine. Living in the sea between a nice island in the north and the continent next to it", a rather vague answer, but Pixel could probably look up later where exactly "Havfines" lived.  
"How did your home look like? Were there children too?", was the next question and Robbie rolled his eyes. Of course they'd ask about that as well, how could they not?  
"It's a city underwater, imagine yourself how it looks. There's a big palace with our king and many caves near the city. And yes, there are annoying brats like you", Robbie answered, clearly not wanting to talk about his home. Sadly, it only intrigued the kids and they wanted to know more.  
"Where did you live?", came the question then, and the children agreed that it was the most interesting one. Sportacus was interested as well though, his eyes also on Robbie. The merman groaned in annoyance, these humans sure did like to pry, didn't they?  
"Palace. _Like many others"_ , he put his empathize on it, that he wasn't someone special. He could guess they would assume he was royalty or something like that, and Robbie was not here to talk about such. "Also got a place in a cave. Away from noisy brats", he added. A good reason why he liked this lair, it was deep Underground, away from the others.

The kids chattered among themselves over that for a while, musing how the city looked like, about the kingdom, the king, the royal family and all other people living there and about Robbie as well of course. Robbie took that as opportunity to close his eyes and let the children's talking go through his mind without listening what they were talking about. And Sportacus used it to look at Robbie.  
The merman was practically shining, the light from the lamps reflected in the water droplets on Robbie's arms and shoulders. His wet hair stayed mostly in shape, but some stray locks clung to his forehead and temples. He looked quite relaxed, laying on his arms like that. With his eyes now closed, Sportacus noticed the soft purple hue on his lids, which made the elf wonder how that came to. It looked rather natural after all.

Stephanie was the one to quiet down first, instead looking what the adults were doing. Robbie looked like he was asleep and looking to Sportacus... was he watching Robbie? The girl noticed the gentle smile the elf had and how soft his gaze was on the merman.  
"Sportacus?", she called out softly to the elf. He shook his head gently and looked towards Stephanie, smiling at her. She could spot a tinge of red on his cheeks though. Embarrassed from being caught staring?  
"Yes, Stephanie?", he replied, but the girl just grinned softly and shook her head, talking to her friends again to quiet down and go back to talking with Robbie, if he was still awake and listening.

"Robbie?", Stephanie called out, hoping that he wasn't asleep. She didn't want to wake him after all! She believed he wouldn't have fallen asleep while they were talking so much though. And she was right, because Robbie grumbled in response, opening his eyes once more and looking at the kids. Not saying anything though, he waited for them to ask something again.

"How did you get caught?", was asked then, a question the kids apparently took serious, because the other's just nodded in agreement of the question, all wanting to know. Sportacus was about to say something, the question was a little sensitive maybe, but Robbie was faster in answering.  
"Wasn't careful, got caught in some fisher's net. Next question", he very obviously didn't want to talk more about it, though the kids all wondered now how that happened.   
The kids were quiet for a good while, wondering what they could ask, when Ziggy scooted closer to the edge a little, making Robbie looking at him in question, with a raised eyebrow.  
"Hey Robbie", the candy boy asked, fidgeting with his hands. "Could I, uhm. Touch your tail?", he asked, looking from Robbie's face to the purple tail in the water -softly swaying from side to side- before looking back at Robbie.

"No", was the short and simple answer.   
"Pleaaase!", Ziggy begged, making the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage.  
" _No"_ , Robbie _growled_ , glaring at Ziggy. That caused the young boy to tear up slightly and scoot back again, pouting sadly. He was really curious how it would feel! No need to be so mean about it.  
"Don't be so harsh on him, Robbie", of course there came a lecture from Sportacus, but Robbie just glared at the elf. He didn't _need_ to be lectured! They stared at each other for a while, until someone tapped Robbie on the shoulder.

"What?", Robbie growled, facing who was in front of him. It was Trixie, kneeling right in front of him.  
"I wanted to ask you what you eat when you're hungry. Sport didn't tell us", she told him and shrugged softly, uncaring about Robbie's previous growl.  
Robbie looks at Sportacus for a moment, to see the elf looking uncomfortable. It made Robbie grin and he looked back to Trixie. Pushing himself up a little on one arm, he used his other hand to lift her face a gently.  
"What I eat?", he asked, still grinning. He pulled her forward a little, using his hand under her chin. "I eat little kids _like you"._  
Trixie's eyes widened and she pulled back, barely having noticed that Robbie had her leaning over the water, having gone back himself a little. While she scrambled backwards, Robbie laughed, amused.  
"Robbie!", Sportacus exclaimed with a scolding tone. The merman just continued to cackle to himself, so the elf decided to calm the children down. Trixie was getting angry at Robbie and Ziggy feared that he'd be eaten by Robbie, or any other merperson he'd maybe meet one day!

After the kids were calmed down, they decided that it was enough asking for today and that they wanted to go and play. They had learned quite a bit today after all, about Robbie and where he came from. Not _incredibly_ much, but Ziggy wasn't too keen on staying any longer for today and Stephanie thought Trixie should take her anger out with sports. So they decided to leave, bidding Robbie goodbye, before hurrying down the stairs and going to the stairs that lead outside.  
Sportacus told them he'd be following shortly, wanting to talk with Robbie about something. The kids didn't mind and proceed, Robbie going back to settle on the platform like before, waiting for the elf to speak. He took his sweet time with it.

"So, Robbie. I just wanted to know if everything's alright?", Sportacus asked then, looking at Robbie. He was still seated on the platform, fidgeting slightly. He wanted to move, and was glad he would be able to soon.  
"Everything's _peachy"_ , Robbie replied and rolled his eyes. It was as alright as it could be, but at least it was better than in that awful aquarium. Even if he disliked to move around much, it had been far too small for him.  
"Anything you need? Something I can bring you?", Sportacus continued to ask, worried that Robbie just wasn't telling him if something was wrong. He wanted to make sure Robbie was alright!  
"How about some _meat?"_ , Robbie asked and grinned at Sportacus. He _was_ hungry and hadn't been kidding. He did indeed eat meat, and fish, and much less anything else edible you could find in the ocean.  
"I'll... try and get you something, okay?", Sportacus offered, getting up to his feet with a jump. He knew that Robbie wasn't kidding with what he ate and that the two of them had a rather different diet. But who was he to deny a friend in need of help?

Robbie just nodded, making a shooing motion with his hand then, pushing himself away from the edge again then. Seems like that was all.  
"I'll be back soon!", Sportacus exclaimed and smiled at Robbie, before flipping down and disappeared towards the stairs outside. At last, Robbie was alone again. He knew he wouldn't be for very long, but at least for a while. And then hopefully for the rest of the day, talking and spending time with others was draining.

When Sportacus comes back, he has a plastic bag with him. Going up the stairs, he sets it down at the edge, looking for Robbie. Spotting him, the merman seems deep in thought. He watched him for a while, before Robbie caught him staring, which caused Sportacus to quickly look away again. He just couldn't help himself but stare at Robbie everytime he got the chance. There was just something about him that intrigued him.  
Robbie came to the surface of the water, swimming over to the edge where Sportacus was standing. He wordlessly grabbed the bag to get to its contents, ignoring Sportacus and his gaze on him.

"What were you thinking about Robbie?", Sportacus asked, curious. Robbie had been deep in thought, he had seen that. It made him wonder what the other was thinking about.  
"None of you business", Robbie replied annoyed, grabbing his meal and disappearing back underwater. Of course he wouldn't stay to talk with Sportacus and wouldn't eat in front of him. Sportacus had almost expected that, but he still would've liked to know.  
"Goodbye Robbie!", he called out, hoping the merman would hear it, before Sportacus went on his way back outside again, to go and play with the children. Occupy his mind with something else than thoughts about Robbie.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just finished writing this and posting it immediately  
> I had to, admittedly, force myself to write. I mean, I love writing, but I have no motivation to write at the moment, or at least to _start_ writing.  
>  I have the outline of the next chapter, but I have no idea when I will be able to write it. School and such, yeah.
> 
> Sportacus is starting to get really interested in Robbie, eh?~  
> But who wouldn't stare at Robbie, he's _beauty_ he's _grace_. I'd stare at him too, tbh.  
>  I hope you enjoyed the chapter! On an unrelated note, I found a solution for what to write for my other fic, so _maybe_ there will be a new chapter soon as well!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope nobody's too ooc orz

Sportacus was out and playing with the kids, everyone having decided that Robbie deserved some time alone to get adjusted, and they could still check in on him later this day and see if everything was alright! Suddenly though, Sportacus' crystal flashed and beeped, signaling that someone was in trouble. The kids were all here and safe, so it had to be one of the adults. Excusing himself from the kids, Sportacus dashed off, following the pull of his crystal on where to go. It couldn't tell him what trouble it was or who was in trouble, but it always lead him to where he needed to go and how dire the situation was.

He was lead right to the old factory, which made Sportacus worried even more, because now he knew that it was _Robbie_ who was in trouble. Deciding to use the quickest way to get down, he threw the hatch open and jumped inside, sliding through the tube until he shot out at the end, spinning to land on his feet. The hero looked up to the platform, where he saw _Robbie?_ Standing there on shaky legs and probably about to fall over. Sportacus ran towards the stairs and jumped up at the corner, to not have to run up the first flight of stairs.

When he got up, Robbie had _just_ fallen back into the water with a yelp, before Sportacus could grab him and steady him. Instead the hero quickly looked in the water to see if Robbie was alright, which turned out to be the truth, the merman being back to his usual self. Sportacus could see though, that Robbie was frustrated. To his luck, the merman re-surfaced again and huffed, having his arms crossed.  
"What happened Robbie?", Sportacus asked, concerned for his friend. Why had he been out of the water? Was something wrong? Did he need something?  
"It's none of your business", Robbie replied with a snarl, not looking at Sportacus. He wouldn't admit that he had tried to, well, _stand._ Walking seemed far too difficult for him for now, so he wouldn't dare say he tried that.  
Sportacus frowned, mind still buzzing with questions and possible things that Robbie had wanted to do and the reasons as to why.  
"Do you want to walk?", Sportacus asked then. It seemed rather likely, if he was being honest. Why else would Robbie be outside of the water and using his legs?

Robbie was silent for a while, though the hero did notice that his cheeks were tinted pink. Was he embarrassed about it?  
"Maybe", was his answer and before Sportacus could say anything, the merman glared harshly at him. Like he was threatening him to make fun of him or something alike.  
"Would you like me to help you?", Sportacus asked, a soft smile on his face. He would love to help Robbie learn how to walk and be steady on his feet!  
Robbie grumbled, looking away again. He didn't _need_ help. Well, _maybe_ he did, but he wouldn't admit that. And he definitely wouldn't ask that _elf_ for help!  
Sportacus could see how stubborn Robbie was with not wanting help, so he shook his head softly, a small grin on his face. "How about you show me how good you are?", he asked instead, so that Robbie wouldn't agree to getting help.  
Robbie seemed to like that idea and nodded, not looking so grim anymore, but full of confidence. Swimming over to the edge again, he pulled himself up to sit on the ledge, the transformation from tail to legs smoothly while he got out.

Sportacus was quiet and watched how Robbie pulled himself carefully up, tightly holding onto the railing. His knees were shaky and he seemed really unstable on his feet, but otherwise okay.  
"How's that?", Robbie grinned triumphantly at Sportacus, showing off his small victory. Sportacus smiled back, proud of Robbie, before he realized something and looked to the side, face flushed red.  
"T-that's amazing Robbie", he managed, his pride and his embarrassment clear in his voice. Robbie was confused at first, brows knitted together, before he realized what was wrong. He was _indecent_ without clothes as human, right?

"How about I'll. Get you something to wear?", was all Sportacus said before rushing off again already. It made Robbie laugh a little, seeing Sportacus embarrassed was kind of cute. But now he had to wait, but since waiting was _boring_ , he decided to try and move around. Clinging to the railing and getting used to standing.  
When Sportacus came back, Robbie had sat down again, letting his feet dangle in the water. The golden piece of jewelry he formerly had around his tail was now more like a bracelet around his ankle, the small golden chains laying against his skin on his foot.  
"Robbie?". The merman turned his head, looking up to Sportacus. He was holding a purple cloth in his hands, with golden decorations made with thread. Robbie looked skeptically at it, before raising a brow at the hero.  
"It's a wrap-arond skirt. You have to stand up", Sportacus explained, though Robbie still wasn't too sure. he did get up though, slowly and clinging to the railing. The elf handed him the skirt then, and Robbie looked at it, trying to figure it out. Since Sportacus had said "wrap-around", that was surely what he needed to do.

He carefully wrapped it around his waist, finding buttons to secure it. He pulled at it a little, so that the opening was at his sides. The texture of the skirt was really smooth and flowed around his legs nicely. He liked the feeling of it, it was nice! A small content smile had found its way onto his lips, but that quickly vanished and was replaced with a startled yelp when he was suddenly picked up.  
"Learning to walk up here won't be good! Let's go down", Sportacus said, holding Robbie bridal-style and going down the stairs, while the taller man was clinging to him. He did _not_ like suddenly being picked up and carried around, though he agreed with Sportacus. He couldn't really learn to walk up on that platform.

Once they were down on the ground, Sportacus set Robbie down, so that he was standing on the soft rug on the ground. He was still holding onto the taller man, while he was looking down at his feet, relishing in the feeling of the soft rug under his feet. He seemed really amazed at it, which Sportacus could see in his face. It made the elf smile softly.  
"Ready?", Sportacus asked after a while, which startled Robbie. He almost tumbled to the ground, if it wasn't for Sportacus, who held onto his arm.  
"I guess", was Robbie's reply, and Sportacus let go of Robbie. He was still rather wobbly, but he managed to stand on his own two feet without any support. He was wiggling his toes a little, refusing to look at Sportacus and having his arms crossed.

The elf took a step backwards, just a small one, in case Robbie would fall -which he probably will. Sportacus hadn't ever helped a kid learn how to walk, but he knew generally how it would work. He waited for Robbie, who now looked a little uncertain. Walking looked so _easy_ when other people did it, but when he had to do it _himself?_...  
Robbie took a deep breath and set on a determined face, he couldn't wait any longer or else Sportacus might try to get him to walk or, or _something!_

He didn't even manage one step before he was falling and Sportacus needed to catch him and steady him back on his own two feet. He smiled patiently, but Robbie was scowling. _Why_ did this have to be so hard!?  
"Hold onto me, okay? And we'll walk together", Sportacus suggested then, offering his hands to Robbie. The man frowned, but finally took his hands when the want to be able to walk was stronger than his pride of learning without help.

Holding onto Sportacus' hands, Robbie had a much easier time staying steady on his own two feet. He managed very slow and very small steps, but he was incredibly proud of himself -and Sportacus too. Trying to walk without help was a disaster though, Robbie had a really hard time keeping his balance. But he tries anyways, determined to get it on his own.  
Sportacus takes a few steps back, Robbie's goal being to walk to the elf without help, all on his own. So he slowly and carefully started to wobble towards Sportacus, keeping his eyes on the goal: reaching Sportacus. The elf was smiling proudly at Robbie, giving him words of encouragement.

The final steps Robbie lost his balance again and tumbled forward, falling directly against Sportacus, who managed to caught him. The taller of the two was basically laying in his arms now, against his chest, which caused a soft blush to creep on Sportacus' face.  
"I did it!", Robbie exclaimed, not caring at all how close he was to Sportacus and still being held by him. Instead, he pushed himself away from the elf and carefully back onto his own two feet, smiling broadly with pride.  
"That was very impressive Robbie!", Sportacus praised him as well, smiling at him and just ignoring the blush on his cheeks. He was just very happy that Robbie had managed that!

They resumed learning -or more like training now- and didn't notice the rumbling of the tubes. Suddenly there were five children coming out the wall and tumbling into the pillows and blankets. They were able to catch a glimpse of Sportacus and Robbie, the latter _just_ having fallen into the other's arms, due to being startled by the sudden appearance of the children.  
Sportacus was instantly blushing again, Robbie once more in his arms and dependent on him to not fall on the ground. He had one arm around the other man's waist, the other hand on the small of his back. Robbie had a tinge of red on his face now as well, he hadn't wanted the _kids_ to see him trying to walk! They would make fun of him! He grumbled and tried to push himself off Sportacus, who scrambled to put him back onto his two feet.

The kids are amused at that, giggling at the scene in front of them. Ziggy was the first to speak up though, bouncing up to Robbie, looking up to the tall man with sparkles in his eyes.  
"You can walk! That's so cool!", he said, smiling excitedly. He was really amazed about this! It was so cool, especially since he hadn't seen Robbie with _legs_ before!  
"You look different", Trixie noted, letting her mind take in the sight of Robbie with legs and a skirt. None of the kids seemed to mind that Robbie was shirtless, neither did Sportacus though, it appeared. But they all looked curiously at Robbie, who had crossed his arms and looked to the side. It seemed like he didn't really like to be looked at so closely, but he didn't say anything either.

"Why are you trying to learn how to walk Robbie?", Stephanie asked then, curious. Maybe the tank was too small for him, or maybe he was just bored? Surely where he came from in the sea, there was much more to do and look at, and also other merpeople.  
"Why not?", Robbie replied, annoyed already at the question. He didn't want to do anything with the kids being here, neither did he want to answer more questions they may come up with.  
"Can we help you out?", Pixel asked then. Maybe they could help Robbie learning how to walk? It surely would be a lot of fun! The other kids thought so as well, all starting to speak at once on how they could help and what they could do.

Robbie growled in response, glaring at them. He put his hands on his ears and looked away, scowling. He was sensitive, especially his ears were. Why did kids need to be so _noisy!_  
Sportacus noticed that and looked worried, looking towards the children then. They were all talking at once and together and over each other, but was it really that loud? Maybe he was just used to it..  
"Kids, could you please quiet down?", he asked, smiling gently at them. They slowly did quiet down, Trixie and Stingy being the last to finally fall silent.  
Robbie sighed in relief, letting his hands fall back to his sides again. He looked towards the children with a glare once more.  
"Why do you have to be so _noisy?"_ , he growled, making Trixie shrug with a smug grin.  
"We're sorry Robbie", Stephanie apologized. The others did as well, after a the girl shot them all a _look_ , nudging Trixie in the side as well, knowing the trouble-maker wouldn't otherwise.

"How about you guys go play outside again? Maybe Robbie can come later with me!", Sportacus suggested then, smiling brightly at the kids. They seemed alright with the idea, so they said their goodbyes to Sportacus and Robbie, before hurrying off towards the back again to go outside.  
Robbie was obviously glad about that, now he could stop standing around like a moron and start walking again! He took Sportacus' hands to steady himself, surprising the elf and causing another blush, and tugged at him to start walking. Sportacus did so, carefully walking backwards and leading Robbie, who was looking very concentrated onto the ground and his feet.

When he was being honest, Robbie was still amazed. He hadn't used his legs much before, only sometimes looking at them or when he decided to be out of the water and rest on some rock there. But he never really _used_ them, he never bothered trying to stand or even _walk_. So seeing his feet on solid ground, how his jewelry moved with each step - it fascinated him.

Sportacus watched Robbie silently, taking small steps backwards, but at a steady pace. He saw how determined Robbie was, his gaze firmly on the ground, but he also looked... happy. The elf couldn't imagine how it might be for the merman -used to always swimming and being underwater- now suddenly walking around. But he definitely seemed to like it. Then he noticed, how far they had already walked, without a stumble or trip! And at a steady pace as well!  
"Robbie! You're doing really well! Look how far we've gone!", Sportacus exclaimed then, proud and happy, looking with one of his sun-bright smiles at the taller man.  
Robbie was startled out of his concentration, tripping over his feet. "Wh- huh?", was all he could say, before he was falling again already.

Sportacus had still held onto Robbie lightly, so he quickly tightened his grip again to stop Robbie from falling to the ground, having to twist out of Robbie's when for them both not to fall to the ground. When they were standing without anyone falling or twisting anymore, Robbie carefully opened his eyes again -having closed them due to fear of hitting the ground.  
With how Sportacus was holding him, Robbie was in a _dip_. It caused them _both_ to blush once they realized that, avoiding looking at each other. After a while Sportacus finally pulls Robbie back up on his feet, pulling him a little closer to himself in the process.  
"You did so well! I'm proud of you Robbie!", Sportacus was smiling brightly up to Robbie, red still tinging his cheeks. The compliment just made Robbie blush a little more, looking to the side.  
He grumbled a "Whatever", and took a careful step back, away from Sportacus. He couldn't help the smallest of smiles to hush over his lips though.

Suddenly, Sportacus' crystal flashed and he looked down at it. "Someone's in trouble!", he exclaimed, worried. "I have to go! I'm sorry Robbie!", and with those words, he dashed away and out to the stairs, leaving a befuddled Robbie behind.  
Robbie watched Sportacus leave in silence. He still looked towards the hall once Sportacus was gone. A look of disbelieve was on his face, his brows knitting together.  
" _How_ am I supposed to get back in the water", he mused, glaring towards the tanks, "I can barely _walk_. _How_ am I going to manage _STAIRS?!"_ , he near shouted in frustration, huffing and crossing his arms across his chest. His gaze glided back towards the hallway, where he directed his glare to for a while longer, before he sighed and let his arms fall back to his sides. Maybe he can manage to go back to where the rug was and all the stuff the kids brought in.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man I need some more ideas for this xD  
> Sorry I'm updating so slow, I just don't feel like writing much orz  
> But anyways, more bonding time with Sport and Rob <3


End file.
